"Is this the truck?" More than 2 months after man died in freak incident on I-94, family has no answers
BROOKFIELD -- The family of a Brookfield man, killed while driving near Johnson Creek when a piece of a semi flew through his windshield is once again appealing to the public for information in the case.
Jay Tichelaar
Jay Tichelaar was driving home from work on May 22nd, and in just moments, his life ended. The Wisconsin State Patrol has finished collecting and processing evidence from the vehicle and the scene. Now, investigators are seeking witnesses, as Tichelaar's family continues to struggle to make sense of this freak incident.
Each time a semi passes her on the road, Joleen Tichelaar is reminded of the unfathomable circumstances surrounding her husband's death.
Joleen Tichelaar
"I think, 'is this the truck?' Or, 'am I going to die in two seconds?'" Tichelaar said.
In May, her husband was headed east on I-94 to Brookfield when an object broke from a truck in the other lane, and flew toward his Honda CRV.
"And unfortunately, it's a piece of that brake drum that came through his windshield and came through exactly, exactly at the wrong place," Joleen Tichelaar said.
The eight-by-10-inch part struck the 51-year-old in the head, and in an instant, Joleen Tichelaar lost the love of her life.
"In June we would have had our 28th wedding anniversary," Joleen Tichelaar said.
Jay and Joleen Tichelaar
Two-and-a-half months after the crash, Joleen Tichelaar said she still doesn't know who was driving the truck that killed her high school sweetheart. A lieutenant with the Wisconsin State Patrol said investigators don't have a license plate number or a solid vehicle description.
"I know that the trucker may not have known that he caused the accident, but the trucker knows that he's missing his whole brake assembly," Joleen Tichelaar said.
Jay Tichelaar's vehicle
Joleen Tichelaar is asking anyone who saw anything that day or in the days following to come forward -- from mechanics who fixed the truck to witnesses who were also in traffic on May 22nd.
"If I can somehow, by finding this truck, avoiding another family from going through this incredible pain, that's what my hope is," Joleen Tichelaar said.
Tichelaar family
The brake drum broke off and hit Jay Tichelaar right before Mile Marker 270, near Johnson Creek, at approximately 5:20 p.m. on May 22nd. After he was struck, his blue Honda CRV continued east in the median for a half-mile.
Jay Tichelaar
Anyone who may have any information is asked to call the Wisconsin State Patrol at: (608) 846-8500. Please refer to Case #50-5219.
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